Poulin in O T overcomes rough start to win Pink Lloyd Stakes

Poulin in O T absorbed a bad start, chased a hot pace and still wore down the field to win the $100,000 Pink Lloyd Stakes by a length at Woodbine on Sunday, July 5, in 1:10.08. The 6-furlong main-track stakes for Ontario-sired 4-year-olds and up featured front-end pressure from the start, but Ryan Munger kept the Steve Owens trainee within striking range.

Go Kart Mozart shot out from post 7 and set the early tempo through :22.47 for the quarter, :44.77 for the half and :56.84 for five furlongs. Munger's plan was to be on the lead if possible, but once Go Kart Mozart broke sharply he moved Poulin in O T to the outside, let him settle, and waited for the gelding to finish. Poulin in O T edged clear inside the final sixteenth and held off Awesome Bourbon, who finished second. Go Kart Mozart was later demoted to fourth by disqualification behind Paynes Spirit, with Souped Up, Light the Lamp and Summer Commander completing the order behind the winner.

The result gave Owens another stakes win in his bid for a 21st career stakes victory in the Pink Lloyd. He called the horse “magnificent” coming into the race and believed Poulin in O T would run rivals off their feet. At post time he went off as the 9-2 choice and returned $11.40.

He entered the race with a 22-race record of 8 wins, 2 seconds and 6 thirds, plus $425,976 in earnings, and he left with a 9-for-23 mark after the effort.

The gelding, named for Canadian women’s hockey star Marie-Philip Poulin, had surgery for an ankle chip, sat eight months, then returned with a win at Gulfstream Park in March 2026. He had posted three straight bullet half-mile works before the Pink Lloyd, including a :46.40 drill on June 28, fastest of 96 workers that morning.